Consumer Confidence Index retreats

A measure of consumer confidence has retreated along with their assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index fell to 106.4 in May, down from a revised 108.6 in April. Components of the index tracking current conditions and the short-term outlook declined. Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators […]

Small business group gives session a D-

A small business advocacy group assigned the Colorado Legislature a barely passing grade for its latest session. The National Federation of Independent Business gave lawmakers a collective D-. “This year, it was better to watch sausages being made than laws,” said Tony Gagliardi, Colorado state director of the NFIB. “While there were a few pieces […]

Groundbreaking for new high school set for June 1

A groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled for June 1 to celebrate construction of a new Grand Junction High School. The ceremony is set for 10 a.m. near what was a baseball field at the high school. Construction is under way on the new high school on the northeast portion of the school grounds. The project […]

Makerspace gains acclaim for educational efforts

Along with providing services to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses, a Grand Junction facility hosts award-winning programs involving robotics and geographic information systems  The GJmakerspace at the Business Incubator Center hosts the Hi Fives robotics team. The team of high school students designs, builds and programs robots for competition while promoting science, technology, engineering […]

Mesa County sales tax collections trend upward

Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to increase on a year-over-year basis in Mesa County. The county collected more than $4.1 million in sales taxes in April, a 5.4 percent increase over what was collected for the same month a year ago.  April reports reflect March sales. Sales, use and lodging tax collections […]

Bad policies increase likelihood of recession

With the change in real gross domestic product turning negative in the first quarter of this year, a question keeps popping up: Are we headed into a recession? While the National Bureau of Economic Research is the official arbiter of when recessions start and end, the definition is the economy contracts for two consecutive quarters. […]

Orthopedic group receives designation

An orthopedic group at Community Hospital in Grand Junction has received a designation recognizing excellence in care. A group comprised of Western Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and Western Colorado Spine received the Orthopedic Center of Excellence designation from DNV Healthcare Accreditation Services. “This designation underscores our ability to provide consistent, high-quality orthopedic care,” said Chris […]